Pay & Credit Options
During any given term or summer, you have the option to participate in UROP on a paid or credit basis, but you may not receive both pay and credit for the same UROP project in the same term. Likewise, paid UROPs must be funded by a single source in a given term (e.g. either fully funded by UROP or fully funded by faculty) and faculty cannot supplement UROP funded wages to pay a student more than the maximum UROP award or more than the standard UROP hourly rate.
Also, while UROP research may evolve into thesis work, students may not earn UROP pay or credit for thesis work in a term in which they are registered for thesis credit.
UROP participation options are detailed below.
Academic Credit:
UROP credit is general elective credit. In most departments, you have the option for either letter grade (Course#.URG) or pass/fail grading (Course#.UR). However, in Courses 6, 8, 16, 18, Concourse, and ESG only UR pass/fail grading is available.
Paid UROP
You have two paid UROP options and different application deadlines apply based on the type of funding.
- Faculty/Department Funding (sponsored research): Funding from faculty, department and lab resources.
- UROP Direct Funding (funds from UROP Office): Requests for UROP direct funding may be for hourly pay, materials and services, UROP-related travel, or a combination thereof. However, please note that UROP office funding is not guaranteed, so please discuss alternate options with your supervisor.
NOTE: paid UROPs must be funded by a single source in a given term (e.g. either fully funded by UROP or fully funded by faculty) and faculty cannot supplement UROP funded wages to pay a student more than the maximum UROP award or more than the standard UROP hourly rate.
For summer UROP work taking place outside of Massachusetts and internationally, please note see the important information on the Remote Appointment Guidance page.
Also note that Wellesley College students are not eligible for UROP Direct Funding – instead they must be paid by faculty/department resources. In cases where faculty/department pay is not available, Wellesley College students should explore options that Wellesley makes available to their students – details can be found on the Wellesley College Science Center Student Research and Funding Opportunities page.
If you are a Wellesley international student choosing to pursue a paid research opportunity at MIT UROP, please consult with the Slater International Center to obtain proper off-campus work authorization at least 2 weeks before beginning any paid research opportunity at MIT.
Paid UROP participants are eligible for a transcript notation that reflects research participation (Course#.URN). URN notations are awarded by faculty supervisors at the end of the term, provided that you have made satisfactory progress and worked a total of 80 hours or more in the given term.
UROP Office Direct Funding Priorities
In alignment with UROP’s strategic plan recommendations, we are refining the principles and prioritization of “direct funding” allocation to UROP applicants.
Funding priority will be given to directing support to students that meet certain criteria, as outlined below:
- Students with financial need. All scholarship recipients are eligible for the Institute’s guarantee of one paid UROP semester. Each fall, IAP (eligibility limited to first-time first-year students), and spring, we will work with Student Financial Services to identify eligible students who have not received UROP funding; these students will be given first priority for direct funding.
- Students pursuing their first UROP opportunity. This should have a positive impact on first-year applicants, who already participate in substantial numbers.
- Students who have never participated in a paid UROP opportunity (e.g. students who have only participated in past UROPs for academic credit). Students who previously received funding from faculty/DLCs will not be included.
Other Considerations
- Relative experience. For example, a direct funding applicant with one prior paid UROP on record might get priority over a student with five prior paid UROPs on record.
- Fit with restricted funding. For instance, Course 2 students eligible for the mechanical engineering-focused Bailey UROP Fund may be at an advantage for direct funding consideration.
- Support for underresourced areas or faculty. (E.g. new faculty, SHASS).
Remaining funds will be distributed as equitably as possible. At the conclusion of each funding cycle, a report will be drafted outlining funding allocations based on the above priorities.
UROP Transcript Notation
Paid UROP participants are eligible for a transcript notation that reflects their research participation. URN notations are awarded in the faculty supervisor’s academic department (Course#.URN) following the end of the term, provided that you have made satisfactory progress and worked a total or 80 hours more in the semester. NOTE: Summer UROPs are automatically pre-registered/registered for URN and will receive the notation in early fall, provided that they successfully complete their summer UROP.